Maverick Viñales showed off during FP1, but Andrea Iannone takes the lead during FP2, overtaking Danilo Petrucci right before the end.
Some rain fell before FP1, but riders could take the track in the best possible conditions for FP2. Maverick Viñales took the lead “in the morning” ahead of the Ducatis, while the last round went to Andrea Iannone, who managed to register the best time of the entire day, eventually overtaking Danilo Petrucci. The Spanish Yamaha rider closed in 3rd.
Alvaro Bautista had his debut during FP1, riding the GP 2018 usually belonging to the injured Lorenzo. For this weekend, his place in the Angelo Nieto Team will go to Mike Jones, who’s riding a GP 2016, while Karel Abraham will be riding the last season’s one. When MotoGP FP started the track was still slightly wet due to some raindrops that fell right before the beginning of the round. But as time went by, track conditions steadily improved and times became quicker and quicker. Two riders fell during this round: Pedrosa on turn Doohan and Marquez on Turn 10. FP1 ended with Maverick Viñales at the top followed by Ducati riders Jack Miller, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso.
As weather conditions improved, FP2 could start on a dry track that allowed riders to close this first day at Phillip Island with much better times compared to FP1. Bautista fell on Siberia turn right after the beginning of FP2, while Marquez managed to keep himself up and to go back on track despite taking a very long turn. Crutchlow was not so lucky and slipped on Doohan turn at a very high speed (he had to be taken out on a gurney and at the Medical Center they found out he has a broken ankle), as did his teammate on the Siberia turn. For a while, it seemed that Danilo Petrucci would have closed FP 1st, but Andrea Iannone managed to make an extremely quick last lap that allowed him to overtake his fellow countryman right before the chequered flag. Maverick Viñales closed FP 3rd ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.
